The Hero’s Journey For Storytellers

For storytellers, the word, Hero, is like the word ‘home’ –we all want to go home. We all want to be at home. We all want to be the Hero. We all want the traits that a Hero has. To be a Hero is to be a believer in our own amazing potential, to be courageous in pursuing our life’s adventure, and to be sacrificial in our relationships with ourselves and others. It’s to decrease our emphasis on the fighting and aggressive warrior archetype that we all seem to understand way too well and begin to live in the transformative and miraculous power of the magician archetype. To be a Hero is to be at home in our own lives.

Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey is about finding the Hero in the stories that are our lives and giving him expression. It’s saying yes to the Hero when he shows up. We face down our demons and transform our fears into places of magical and miraculous potential. When we are able to do that we are empowered from the deepest and most authentic place inside of ourselves.

As writers and storytellers, acknowledging The Hero’s Journey for ourselves if we’re the main character in our story or acknowledging it for our characters if we’re writing fiction is to give ourselves permission to break through the conflicts and troubled places in our minds to a place of transcendence and freedom.

Chris Vogler writes in his book, The Writer’s Journey: The Hero’s Journey is not an invention, but an observation. It is a recognition of a beautiful design, a set of principles that govern the conduct of life and the world of storytelling the way physics and chemistry govern the physical world…The Hero’s Journey is a pattern that seems to extend in many dimensions, describing more than one reality. It accurately describes, among other things, the process of making a journey, the necessary working parts of a story, the joys and despairs of being a writer, and the passage of a soul through life.

This course is about identifying the journey you want to write about, deciding whether you want to approach your story through fiction or nonfiction, and then having the courage to say yes to the Call to Adventure and move into the Special World of The Hero’s Journey.

Course Outline

Week One: Introduction to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey What is it? How does it inform our lives? How can we become the heroes of our own lives through writing our stories? Is it possible to move from our deep-seated perception of ourselves as victims and start thinking of ourselves as heroes?

Assignment: To submit three ideas for group exploration using The Hero’s Journey criteria.

Week Two: Outlining your Hero’s Journey Feeling passionate about the story idea you’ve chosen; becoming clear about the archetypes in your idea; identifying the stages of the journey and organizing the story events into a form.

Assignment: To create a structure for your story, to recognize the character archetypes as they present themselves, to be able to state the purpose of each archetype in your journey.

Week Three: The Ordinary World and the Call to Adventure Hooking the reader; introducing the Hero and his psychic wound; establishing your Hero’s background; creating an initial mood, image or metaphor; asking the sacred question; positioning the inciting incident; moving behind the Herald’s mask.

Assignment: To begin your story, introducing the Ordinary World and writing through to the Call to Adventure

Week Four: The Refusal of the Call and Meeting with the Mentor The Hero avoids the call; creative excuses for his resistance; the challenge of the Threshold Guardians; the appearance of the Mentor; the many masks of the Mentor

Assignment: To move your Hero through the Refusal of the Call and the Meeting with the Mentor

Week Five: Crossing the First Threshold and Tests, Allies, and Enemies Approaching the threshold and encountering the Threshold Guardians; crossing the threshold; contrasting the Ordinary World and the special world; testing the Hero; discerning who are allies and who are enemies; new rules of the special world

Assignment: To get your Hero across the first threshold where he is tested and encounters his allies and enemies

Week Six: Approach to the Inmost Cave and Ordeal Deciding on the Hero’s approach to his adventure; encountering the obstacles; creative appeals to the Threshold Guardians; complications and higher stakes; stepping back to reorganize; breakthrough; no exit; death and rebirth; crisis; facing the shadow; taste of death and cheating death; crisis of the heart; facing the greatest fear; death of the ego

Assignment: To write your Hero’s Approach to the Inmost Cave and take him through his Ordeal

Week Seven: Reward (Seizing the Sword) and The Road BackCelebrating the victory; campfire and/or love scenes; taking possession of the external or internal goal; facing death; rededication to the Call; renewed motivation in the face of retaliation from the enemy; chase scenes; final setback

Assignment: To Reward your Hero and put him on the Road Back home

Week Eight: Resurrection and Return with the Elixir Cleansing from the smell of death and an emerging new self; showdown and the highest stake yet; climax and catharsis; understanding the character arc; the Hero’s sacrifice; denouement; the circular story form vs. the open-ended story form; surprise; reward and punishment; identifying the Elixir

Assignment: To resurrect your Hero and show his return with the Elixir

Assignment: To rewrite your Hero’s Journey story, getting as close as you can to the story’s authentic truth

Week Ten: What now? Learn to use your Hero’s Journey in an ongoing way as a metaphor for your life.

Assignment: To answer five self-discovery questions.

Student Comments

I loved working with Gloria. She is very positive, encouraging, and thorough in her evaluations of our writing. Her feedback is excellent and her assignments really make you think. I cannot say enough good things about Gloria.The class was great! It was a wonderful experience! - Janna Brock

I was very happy with the content and the assignments. The class exceeded my expectations in every way. I found the deadlines, word limits and others feedback invaluable. I found out a lot about myself and the type of writing I want to continue. Gloria was a great teacher who gave a lot of feedback. How she keeps everything straight I'll never know. Her sense of humor and the way she evaluated assignments made me very comfortable. I had never shared my writing with anyone before and she made me feel very much at ease. Her feedback was helpful and specific as to what I needed to do as a writer to make my work better. - Catherine Turner

Gloria was terrific as an instructor. I didn't know what to expect since this was the first time I had ever taken a writing course on the net. Gloria's critiques on all of our work was timely, thoughtful, so on the mark it was scary at times-She was always so encouraging yet her comments never seemed condescending or false. Frankly, I was very surprised at how much Gloria provided in the way of written feedback as well as taking the time to answer questions from class members and participate in email exchanges-conversations. While it may sound odd, given this was a virtual course, Gloria was not only an excellent instructor, critic and supporter, she was gracious in the amount of attention she devoted to the group. - Jan Smith

First I want to say that I loved Gloria. She really helped me to open my eyes and realize that becoming a writer or at least trying wasn't quite as scary as I thought it would be. - Carly Young

Excellent. The lecture material was concise and relevant. The assignments were challenging and instructive. [Gloria was] very good. Excellent critique style. Wonderful attention to detail in review of our assignments. Encouraging and constructive. - Judy Schreiner

Gloria has a great style and combines positive constructive feedback with personal and personable exchanges that challenge while growing your confidence. I am considering other courses as this was such a good experience. - Ann Wright

YES!! It was a great experience with a wonderful writing coach. I felt challenged and excited to log in on Mondays and read the lecture and start writing the assignment. There was a great mix of different writing genres, so for those of us “Starting to Write” we were able to try a lot and maybe, hopefully, settle on one we would like to continue. Gloria is wonderfully smart, funny, encouraging, thought-provoking, just all around great. Her comments/critiques/reviews were amazing -- as a student you could tell that she really put time and energy into what she was doing. With an online class, you can loose the human connection, but I feel very connected to Gloria, I would take another class from her anytime! - Anna Reorda

Very happy. This was the first writing class that I have taken so don't have anything else to compare it too, but I thought the lessons fit perfectly with my lack of experience. Gloria was excellent. Did a very nice job of reviewing our work, giving us encouragement along with constructive criticism. - Gary Gustafson

Gloria was a fantastic teacher. She inspired me to find the desire to keep writing. She also led me into a new way of thinking about my writing and what I was capable of doing. I would definitely recommend these classes to others. In fact I have given your website out to two others so far. I will be taking another class with you in the near future. I'd like to thank you for being there on the web. - Connie Wojtyna

Gloria gives amazing feedback. Very positive, yet not afraid to critique and point out weaknesses. I would definitely recommend the class to a friend. I am already taking another of Gloria's classes. - Ann Barnett

Gloria Kempton has provided some of the best advice I’ve ever received on how to achieve more psychological depth in my fictional characters, and also how to investigate my own shadows. She gave excellent advice and feedback. - Brownwen Jones

I'm happy to say that I was delighted with the course content, the assignments, and the instructor. Gloria's lecture material and feedback on assignments were very effective in drawing me to a conclusion as to what my writing niche(s) might be. The course met all of its objectives. - Michael Tully

Gloria was well organized and and as thorough as could be hoped for. I thought her ability to offer critiques that were both positive and instructive was masterful. The lessons plans and lectures were very instructive and I will be referring to them often. - Geoff Tobiasson

[Gloria's] critiques were thoughtful, elaborate, and helpful. She also added a personal touch and was really approachable during the entire class. - Michael Ehler

Before signing up for this class, I looked over feedback from previous students of Gloria Kempton. All reviews said that she took a personal interest in her students, and I was not disappointed. She has a knack for meeting students right where they are, and gave constructive criticism with kindness and humor. She also recommended a couple of books that Writer's Digest had published for outside reading; I checked them both out of our public library and they were helpful. - Lori Peardon

This was my first class, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found the lessons challenging but "doable." They certainly stretched me a bit, which is what I was looking for. Gloria seemed friendly and fair, and offered helpful feedback. I was happy to have such a positive/encouraging person reviewing my work, and it helped me to stick with it. - Arnold Doyle

Gloria was just the person I needed to help me with my writing, make constructive suggestions and give sound advice to us budding writers. I'll certainly recommend your courses. Thank you for a very well organized and interesting online course. - John Harper

The lessons were very informative. The sequence led me through the process of creating a story (i.e., a first draft) --something I had not done before. I learned a lot. I think I could take the class again and learn it a second time! Gloria gave excellent, very personal critiques with suggestions on how to make use of them as we moved on to the next lesson. She was helpful, sympathetic, and encouraging when one class member encountered unavoidable computer & personal problems. [With Writers.com] I've never been without a class I wanted to take. - Marge Osborn

This [The Hero's Journey for Storytellers] was the best writing class I've ever taken. Second best was Gloria's Shadow Writing class. Gloria is the best writing teacher I have had. She is wholeheartedly committed to helping her students. - Antoinette Armocida

The specific prompts helped me to focus on things I needed to work on. Gloria is helpful and insightful. She is very experienced and explained concepts well. - Amelia Wood

Having a mentor like Gloria launched me into a whole new career. I have now published over 100 articles and 3 books, teach writing seminars, and landed a position in the editorial department at a publishing company. Karan Gleason

The class gave me a whole new and satisfying direction in my writing. I don’t think I could have gotten there without this class. I now know what I want to focus on and I am so happy… Gloria is a star. A great teacher and a nice person. She really knows her stuff and presented it in a way that kept me enthusiastic and motivated… Offer more classes by Gloria! Justine Owen

Gloria offered specific suggestions and brainstormed with me frequently without suggesting that I conform to her style. I can honestly say that I came away encouraged and motivated after every contact. Dudley Delffs

I was very pleased with both the content of the class and with the expertise and sensitivity of the instructor, Gloria Kempton… Gloria’s classes were very well thought out and organized. She presented the written lectures in an easy to understand format, and included questions designed to provoke thought and insight for her students. She showed a personal, genuine interest in each one of us, and was always willing to help us in our writing efforts. Her commentaries on our work were tactful, always offering positive guidance, and full of “atta boys” that we all need. She made us “feel like writers” from day one… Again, I was very pleased with the entire experience with taking a class through Writers on the Net. The format is so easy to use, and is ideal for those of us trying squeeze writing classes in between work and family obligations. Even though the idea of an internet class provides a degree of anonymity, I very much felt like a part of a “class”, and the names on my inbox indeed became friends after the eight weeks together. I came away from the class with definite improved skills, and the determination to continue with my writing efforts. Thank you for making this avenue of study possible! Candy Calvert

I was very impressed with the format of the class and the subject matter… Gloria is an excellent instructor and uses this medium well. I felt she gave us enough information to provide a well rounded perspective, to encourage us to think – and not become overwhelmed. The assignments were diverse enough to challenge us and keep us focused on the process of “Discovering our Niche”. She was able to effectively project her personality across the miles, develop relationships with us, and empower us with a belief in our own writing abilities. Somehow, she was able to diplomatically walk the fine line of fairly critiquing our work and at the same time, keeping us motivated… I am telling my new writer friends about Writers.com. Gloria encouraged us to get involved with other writers groups, which I am now doing — and spreading the word about how great you are!… I look forward to another class — well worth the investment in time and money. Carole Borah

I really enjoyed the class and Gloria was GREAT!!! Taught me a lot about writing and a lot about myself… I never thought that I could write and I have found an inner voice that I never knew that I had… You have an excellent platform and excellent teachers (and the price is good. too). I have looked into other programs that cost twice to three times as much and I doubt that they can be that much better… Thanks a bunch Gloria… you are great!!!… Thanks for being there… it has opened up a whole new arena for me…. to the good… and I now realize I not only “don’t” want to go back to where I was…. I cannot. Jena Johler

[Gloria] is amazingly insightful and encouraging without holding back the needed criticism. Joe Plemon

Discovering your writing niche” proved to be very beneficial. Each of the assignments were appropriately linked to the corresponding lesson. At the completion of each assignment I was left with a definite feel for what I liked or didn’t like to write. I was very happy with the content and the manner in which it was presented. Gloria Kempton did a fine job teaching. Connie Ong

I just finished a class with Gloria Kempton. She has been an excellent writing coach; I’ve learned so much in such a short time. I appreciate her thorough critiques of my work, and her suggestions were straightforward and easy to follow. Most importantly, she did two things no other instructor has done so far. First, she made us stick to the guidelines she set for the assignment. That was great! What better way to get us ready for the world of publication than to make us work like writers! Finally, she taught us the basics of HOW to market our work. As I said, I’ve taken five of your courses. Gloria’s class (for the amount of time we had), ranked up there with my graduate level writing classes. I am so grateful to have been her student. I look forward to taking future classes with writers.com. Linda Kulp

Gloria Kempton

Gloria Kempton is the author of seven nonfiction self-help books and two young adult novels, as well as hundreds of short stories, essays, personal experiences, personality profiles, how-to’s, and feature articles for a number of national magazines including Writer’s Digest. For three years she wrote a column for single parents in a parenting magazine. Her book, Dialogue, was published by Writer’s Digest Books in 2004 and is still selling well.

She is the former Managing Editor of Parents of Teenagers magazine and was a freelance book editor for nine major publishers including Harper Collins. She is a former contributing editor for Writer’s Digest magazine. She continues to critique and edit both fiction and nonfiction for individuals, as well as coaching writers one-on-one on any aspect of fiction, nonfiction, marketing, or the writing life.

Gloria teaches at writers conferences and has served on several writer’s conference boards and program committees, including the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference, and chaired their midwinter conference for two years.

She has most recently published a correspondence course, The Outlaw’s Journey; A Mythological Approach to Storytelling for Writers Behind Bars, which she is now taking into correctional institutions around the country. She’s currently writing a book based on the material in this course.

Fiction or nonfiction? Article, short story, or how-to book? Do you want to write for children, teens, adults? There is a type of writing that is best suited for you, and the discovery process can be an adventure.